Statement

I modify and arrange found-objects in temporary room-size compositions that become frozen records of my private performance. Once the work is complete, I document and de-install it. Nothing remains but the photographs and a pile of broken and tattered materials, like the forlorn detritus of an epic celebration the night before. I see each consecutive installation as a continuation of a long conversation with the ghosts of installations that precede it. My drawing practice functions as a way to discover new forms and color combinations that I can use in future installations. I use a set of invented symbols like roses, chains, bows, drips, nonsensical text, hearts, hashtags and flying carpets to try and make sense of my complicated relationship with nostalgia, information overload, femininity, body-image and traditional women’s work. Both my drawings and installations use an additive stream-of-consciousness process in which each mark or shape dictates the one that follows.

Biography

Born and raised in the Washington, D.C. suburbs, Seattle-based artist Julie Alpert uses traditional art media and everyday materials to create improvised, site-specific installations. Her work explores decoration, disappointment, nostalgia, and the trappings of femininity. She has a BA in painting from the University of Maryland and an MFA in painting from the University of Washington. She has received awards from The Pollock-Krasner Foundation, MacDowell Colony, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Artist Trust, The New Foundation, The Neddy Awards, and Roswell Artist-In-Residence Program. From 2009-2014, Julie was a member of SOIL Gallery. She is represented by Bridge Productions in Seattle.